It All Adds Up
by bookdiva
Summary: Ch 5: Kensi shows up at Deeks's apartment after 6x22. And she's really good? No really, she's good! And what is that in her hands? A collection of one-shots that don't fit into my other collections of one-shots :) Densi all the way. Please send me prompts! Read and review!
1. Head Shrink On Deck

"That was some case, huh?" Nate questioned as he and Deeks walked into the bar that Deeks had recommended. Nate watched the Detective's reaction carefully, but Deeks just chuckled softly and shook his head. He motioned to the bartender and ordered them two beers.

"Worth every second of it," Deeks said firmly. The bartender placed the beers in front of them, and they both nodded their thanks to him. Once they had their beers, Nate shot Deeks a confused look. "Sam? As Teddy?" Deeks explained. "Oh man, there's no end to the amount of crap that I can give him about that one!"

"And why do you feel the need to do that?" Nate asked as Deeks took a pull from his beer. "Do you give Sam crap because of the way he used to treat you?"

Deeks almost choked on his beer, and he let out a humorless laugh.

"Oh, _hell_ no," Deeks said said quietly. "No. Nope. Not happening. _No_."

"What?" Nate asked, genuinely confused.

"I'll chat with you as a friend, Nate," Deeks said. "And we can talk as colleagues. But we're not doing the shrink thing."

"Oh," Nate said, genuinely surprised. "I just thought… last time…"

"It's not like last time, Nate," Deeks said shortly. Then he did what Nate knew he did best: the Detective deflected. "I still can't believe Hetty sent Sam and Callen down after Tuhon before they really trusted each other. Heck, before they knew each other. Crazy."

"Yeah," Nate agreed, wondering at the different man he was seeing. "You think Hetty's been doing that lately? Making crazy decisions?" Deeks shot him a look, and Nate held up his hands. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But you know, you can talk to me. I'm pretty good at listening."

"No thanks, man," Deeks said shortly. "I'm fine."

Nate had to chuckle at that.

"Wow, you must be spending too much time with Kensi," Nate said. Too late he realized what he'd said. Deeks's eyes flashed, and his hand wandered down to the knife still strapped to his waist. "I mean—"

Nate was cut off as two blonde women—who appeared to be twins—purposefully bumped into Deeks. Deeks instinctively reached out a hand to catch the one who was falling, but his hand didn't linger on her arm. He turned away without even a slight glance.

"I'm _soooo_ sorry," the blonde said, placing her hand on Deeks's upper arm. Nate just settled in to watch, wondering what Deeks would do. Deeks didn't disappoint.

He smiled politely at the blonde, discretely removed her hand from his arm, and simply said, "No harm, no foul." Then he turned back toward Nate.

"Why don't you let me buy you a drink?" she asked, grabbing his arm and turning him toward her again. Her voice was low and seductive, but Deeks didn't react. He shook his head, but she continued before he could speak. "My sister and I can be so clumsy, and really it's both of our faults. We'll each buy you a drink to make up for it."

"No thanks," Deeks said firmly. "I'm just here with my buddy, and we're having a guys night out." He turned to Nate with a hard stare. "Right Nate?"

Nate smirked and decided to push Deeks into revealing something.

"No, don't worry about it Teddy," Nate said. Deeks narrowed his eyes at him. "We can always catch up another time."

Deeks's glare intensified, and Nate realized he didn't think the situation was funny. The man who could find humor in any situation—no matter the danger or importance—was throughly unamused.

"So why don't you come on home with us, then?" the second blonde chimed in for the first time.

"Yeah," her sister nodded eagerly. "I'm sure we could find something to do."

But Deeks didn't even look tempted.

"Sorry ladies," he said stiffly. "I'm taken."

"You have a girlfriend?" the blonde asked, looking down in disappointment.

"Yeah," Deeks said. "And I kinda love her, so… have a nice night."

"So you have a girlfriend, huh?" Nate asked when the two blondes finally made themselves scarce.

"Not really," Deeks hedged, throwing Nate slightly off-balance. His momentary pause didn't go unnoticed by Deeks.

"So where are you headed off to next, Nate?" Deeks asked before Nate could turn another question on him.. He didn't wait for Nate to respond. "Someplace classified, right? Someplace where the lower-levels can't know about?"

Nate heard and understood the bitterness in the Detective's voice, so he went with the deflection.

_Maybe he just needs a little alcohol to loosen his tongue,_ Nate thought to himself. He was uncomfortable with the thought for a moment before reminding himself that he was here as a friend and not as an operational psychologist.

"How bout another beer?" Nate asked, noticing that Deeks's beer was already empty. The Detective sighed.

"You trying to get me drunk, Nate?" Deeks asked, startling Nate slightly. Nate started to protest, but Deeks just shook his head. "It won't work."

Deeks was indeed right. An hour later, they were still sitting at the bar, and the Detective had managed to control the whole conversation while downing five or six beers. Nate was currently nursing his third. The bar tender came up again, but Deeks declined another beer, asking instead for a glass of water.

"So have you seen Rose lately?" Deeks asked. The question caught Nate off-guard.

"Have I… seen Rose lately?" Nate repeated. Deeks shook his head.

"Wow," Deeks drawled in a teasing tone. "You can remember the defense budgets for random countries, but you can't answer a simple question? As one friend to another friend?"

"You're not answering _my_ simple questions," Nate returned. Deeks nodded.

"You're not asking simple questions, Nate," he said firmly.

"They're simple to me," Nate pushed. "They're not simple to you?"

"No," Deeks said simply, taking a sip of his water.

"Okay…" Nate said, meeting Deeks's gaze once again.

"Okay…?" Deeks narrowed his eyes at Nate, clearly trying to figure out the angle. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"I don't know, what do you think that means?" Nate prodded. Deeks didn't respond, so Nate chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Has anyone ever told you that you need to work on your communication skills?"

Deeks eyes flashed wide before he quickly looked away from Nate.

"Now you're answering all my questions with questions," Deeks said bitterly, letting out a defeated sigh. For one moment, Nate read all the hidden emotions on his face. But then Deeks sat up straight again, his had still on the knife. "I think that's my cue to call it a night." He stood and reached for Nate's hand, shaking it firmly but briefly. "It was good seeing you, Nate. Be careful out there—wherever there is."

Nate watched as Deeks quickly retreated into the swarm of people, marveling at how little he'd been able to glean from the former lawyer.

A few minutes later, Nate left the bar, replaying all the minuscule slips the Detective had made. There hadn't been many, and the ones that had slipped out hadn't really been his fault. For the first time, Nate had seen evidence of the Detective's past as a lawyer.

He wasn't more than ten steps away from the bar when his phone rang. He glanced down at the caller ID, but he needn't have.

_Hetty._

"I thought you had a friend in town," he answered, forgoing any polite greeting.

"I did, Mr. Getz," she responded. She didn't offer up any other explanation—and he didn't plan on talking either—so the line was filled with a tense silence. Of course, Nate was the first to break.

"Is this about my next assignment?" he asked, knowing full well it wasn't. "Are you changing something?"

"How was your evening with Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked instead of responding to his question.

Nate's mind flashed back to one of the last things Deeks had said.

_"Now you're answering all my questions with questions."_

"You're answering my questions with questions?" Nate asked Hetty, feeling unexpectedly braze.

"As are you, Mr. Getz," Hetty returned.

Nate hadn't been lying to Deeks—he really had been there as a friend. So he wouldn't betray his friend's confidence, even if that friend hadn't really trusted him with much.

"It was good to have a beer with a friend," Nate finally answered.

He heard Hetty hum discontentedly over the phone, but he didn't wait for her to ask another question.

"Well, it's getting late, Hetty," Nate said. "I think I'm going to head back to my apartment. Check on a few things before catching a little shut eye."

Hetty just hummed again, and Nate clicked the phone off.

_Wow. Maybe I've been hanging around Deeks too much,_ Nate thought to himself as he drove off to get a little shut-eye before leaving on his next classified mission. _If I'm deflecting Hetty, it's not too long before I'm almost as good as Deeks. _

He shook his head and laughed slightly at the thought. Deeks was surviving, that's what mattered. He was pushing on, doing his job, and being there for his partner. Nate realized, as he got into his car, that he was slightly envious of Deeks. Sure, his partner was on the other side of the world, doing Hetty-knows-what, but he had that partner—in every aspect, if tonight was any indication—in his life.

Nate smiled as he drove off. Tomorrow, he'd be living his classified life. Tomorrow, he'd be someone else. Tomorrow, he'd have enemies, not friends. But tonight, he'd had a friend—been there for a friend. And for tonight, that was enough.


	2. Baywatch Part 1

_**AN: Thanks for the response guys! You rock! Also, Fern, thanks for reading this over for me (you know who you are) :)**_

_**This is a prompt from Bamie02—Densi fluff with a shirtless Deeks. And I was MORE than happy to oblige! It kinda just… well, morphed into this :) I hope you enjoy, and please keep sending me prompts for this! This is the collection where ANYTHING goes… (Okay, almost anything… you know, like within the universe of the actual show, you know? And… centered around Densi, obviously…. Or Deeks. Yeah, I like Deeks. Can you tell?) **_

_**Wow, that was a long aside… well anyways, enjoy and leave a review or a prompt… or BOTH! :)**_

_**Blessings,**_

_**bookdiva**_

* * *

"Kensi, c'mon!" Deeks called through the apartment to Kensi, startling her out of her thoughts. "We're going to be late _again_," he continued, "and I for one do _not_ enjoy Sam and Callen's witty remarks."

Kensi sighed, looking down at the sparkling diamond ring on her left ring finger.

"Coming, coming," she called back. She sighed again, slipped the ring off her finger, put it back into the little blue box, and replaced it back into the hiding place.

She'd found it three months ago, and she couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't asked her yet. Everything was going well—maybe too well—and when she'd found it she'd been surprised. It wasn't the ring that had surprised her. Not really. It was her reaction to the ring. She'd found herself excited instead of terrified, elated instead of sad, and it had taken all of her will power to keep herself from running through the apartment and jumping into his arms and screaming it at the top of her lungs. But she'd figured—since he was Deeks—that he probably had some amazing plan all laid out, and she didn't want to spoil that for either of them.

"Fern, come on!" Deeks called again. Instead of replying again, Kensi slammed the drawer shut and headed down the hall. When she appeared in the living room, Deeks sighed in relief. "Thank God," he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door. "Let's go!"

"Seriously, what's the rush, Deeks?" Kensi wondered, barely holding back her amusement. They climbed into the car, and he peeled out of the parking lot. Once they were on the freeway, he looked over at her with wide blue eyes.

"You can't even _imagine_ the things they say to me, Kens," he said, shuddering slightly. "And it's not like I can make some smart reply like I would in any other situation, because, I mean… well, it's you. But they're just immature about the whole situation, and it doesn't matter if it wasn't _my_ fault—like this morning, for instance—and—"

"Excuse me," Kensi cut in, interrupting his nervous rambling. They were already halfway to work, and Deeks was driving, but he still looked over at her. "You're the one who was going on and on about conserving water this morning."

He just shrugged, a smirk lighting his face. "I'm nothing if not eco-friendly, Fern," he teased. "Sharing the shower, carpooling…"

"Yeah, yeah," Kensi said, unable to hold back her laughter as her worries from the morning floated away. "You're in touch with your inner hippy, Shaggy. I, like, _totally_ get it."

He laughed. "Touché, Fern. Touché."

* * *

They arrived up in ops a little while later, and miraculously—mostly thanks to Deeks's maniacal driving—they weren't late. They were still pushing it, though, and Sam and Callen both opened their mouths to tease them upon arrival. Thankfully, Eric cut off any such comments with his customary whistle.

"You hear the shrill, you know the drill," he said, spinning on his heel and disappearing into OPS.

"Wow," Deeks intoned as they climbed the stairs. "I haven't heard that one in awhile."

"Yeah," Kensi agreed with a chuckle. "I guess he's running out of creative summons if he's starting to repeat."

The team entered OPS together only to see footage of a beach cued up on the big screen.

"Play the footage, Mr. Beale," Hetty ordered.

A video appeared on the screen, showing a beach full of tourists. Eric zoomed in on one man and highlighted his face.

"This is Michael Weasley—"

"Please tell me that's a joke," Deeks cut Nell off. She shook her head.

"I wish," she laughed. Sam chuckled too. Kensi and Callen looked back and forth between their three team members, and Kensi finally broke the silence.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"You mean you've never..?" Deeks trailed off incredulously as he realized she was seriously confused. "Okay. I'm seeing a Harry Potter marathon in our future."

Kensi just nodded, liking the way he said _'our future' _and not minding the idea of a movie marathon on the couch with her partner. She smiled as she thought about it.

_I don't care what we watch, but I'd put up a fight… for show, at least,_ she sighed. _It's not like we'll actually see much of the movie, because I'll find a much more… _pleasurable_ way to pass the time… and I'm sure Deeks'll eventually see things my way, just like that one time he tried to get me to watch all the Lord of the Rings movies, and I—_

Deeks nudged her with his shoulder, bringing her attention back to OPS. He was looking down at her with a concerned expression, and she blushed. He smirked at her, correctly guessing where her thoughts had wandered off to. She attempted to scowl at him, but it came off much less threatening than she had intended.

"—a drop off," Eric was saying. She looked away from Deeks and focused on the case once again. She felt his soft chuckle next to her, but she didn't comment. "Our intel suggests that the drop will happen on this beach sometime between noon and 2 p.m. this afternoon."

"Okay, so what's the play?" Deeks asked. "Are we just going to sit around and wait? That's a huge area. There's no way we'll be able to get eyes on the whole beach unless… oh."

"Oh?" Kensi asked, confused. "What do you mean _'oh'_?"

"Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna will be at the two exit points," Hetty said. "Ms. Blye, you'll be backing up your partner, watching his back, since he won't be able to do that and his other two duties."

"Why's that, Hetty?" Kensi asked, not liking the sound of that at all. She looked over at Deeks, but he was grinning, so she figured it couldn't be too bad. She relaxed her shoulders.

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty continued, "you'll be on a modified version of overwatch."

"Overwatch? Deeks?" Callen asked, clearly confused. Kensi figured he hadn't been read into the plan anymore than she had.

Deeks just smirked at the confused team and pointed to the screen.

"Lifeguard tower," he said, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Since I'm the only one here who is actually _qualified_ to save a life."

Kensi let out a relieved laugh.

"Lifeguard, lawyer, detective… kinda a jack of all trades, huh Deeks?" Kensi teased him, bumping his shoulder.

"Master of none," Sam teased. Kensi felt Deeks tense beside her, and she turned a stern look to Sam. Since the whole Siderov incident, things had been tense between the two teammates. Sam had been trying too hard to lighten up, and Deeks took everything the man said to heart.

Sam's smile slipped a little at Kensi's look, but Deeks managed to play it off.

"I'll have you know," Deeks said, "that I'm a superb lifeguard. I mean look at these golden locks and this rocking beach body. I'm like… _perfect_ lifeguard material!"

The whole team laughed, grateful that Deeks had diffused the sudden tension.

"C'mon, Baywatch," Kens said, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of OPS. "Let's go to wardrobe."

* * *

As Kensi drove in her car to the beach, her thoughts wandered back to that ring she'd been playing with, only just that morning, and she sighed again. Her answer hadn't changed—she knew she'd say yes a million times over—but he hadn't asked her, and doubt was starting to creep in.

_Is that even something that you really want? _her subconscious taunted her. _It's not like that worked out so well for you before. _

She shook her head, trying desperately to dislodge the negative thoughts and focus on the mission. She pulled her car into the parking lot, gathered her things, and headed down to the beach.

She spotted her partner immediately—he was impossible to miss—and she took a moment to stand and ogle him. He was sitting atop the lifeguard tower, shirtless, in the standard red swim trunks, a whistle hanging around his neck and resting on his chiseled chest. His eyes scanned the shoreline, so he hadn't yet noticed her arrival. He had a camera, and they could hear him, but he couldn't hear them. That was okay with her. She stood rooted to the spot, about ten yards away from his post, just ogling.

He stood up to look around, and his muscles rippled. She let out a small noise as he stretched his arms above his head. His surfing muscles and shaggy blonde hair fit in perfectly at the beach, and…

**"Kens, snap out of it,"** Callen's voice startled Kensi so much, her feet got caught up in the sand, and she tumbled to the ground. The commotion was enough to cause her partner to look over at her. When he recognized her, he simply smirked and shook his head slightly. Kensi glared up at him and got up. Dusting the sand off her body was futile, but she tried anyways.

"I'm gonna kill you, Callen," she hissed under her breath. The line was silent, so she figured she'd gotten her message across.

She walked a few more feet, making sure that she had an optimal position for watching her partner's back—as he already had the optimal position for watching for their suspect. And she certainly didn't mind watching her partner's back… or back_side_… or whatever.

Sitting there, watching her partner, she really could imagine a life with him one day.

_Waking up every morning in his arms… eating breakfast together… walking Monty together… getting married… mutant ninja assassins… a little girl with blonde curls and bright blue eyes, and… wait!_

The little girl wasn't just in her thoughts. She was currently running across the beach, dancing to music only she could hear.

She was probably around 8 or 9 years old. She had long legs, bouncy blonde curls, and sparkling blue eyes, but it was her bright smile that really captured Kensi's heart. She could easily be Deeks's daughter. _Their_ daughter.

**"Three o'clock, Kens," **Deeks's voice brought Kensi's attention away from the girl. **"Michael is there, and I saw him hand a package over to a man in a dark blue t-shirt. Black hair, green sunglasses. He's headed to your exit, Callen. Michael's headed to you Sam." **

**"Copy that. We're good, Kens. A replacement should show up for Deeks—"**

**"I hope you're good, cause I gotta go," **Deeks's voice cut off Callen's instructions.

As he said the words, her partner hopped down off his stand and started running the opposite direction that he'd said the suspects had headed—toward the beach and away from Callen and Sam. Kensi hopped to her feet immediately, unsure what her partner had seen but ready to back him up no matter what. She grabbed her bag—which held her gun—keeping her weapon concealed until the last moment.

Deeks was headed toward the water, his focus completely on something in the water. She followed his line of sight and finally saw what had her partner so motivated. Out in the waves, just past the swimming area, was a tiny golden head barely bobbing above the water. Kensi immediately realized it was the little girl she'd seen earlier, and she felt her heart jump into her throat.

Then Deeks was in the water, making strong strides and using the waves to carry him closer to the girl. Her head disappeared under the water, and Kensi gasped. She stood on the beach, watching the scene unfold. Deeks reached the girl only a few seconds after she'd disappeared and he dove down, disappearing too.

For a long moment, Kensi couldn't breathe. She stood, completely frozen, counting the seconds before her partner reappeared.

Thirty seconds.

She saw him laughing and smiling and his big heart and his inappropriate comments.

Forty seconds.

She heard him promise her not to get himself killed.

Fifty seconds.

She felt his arms around her, holding her after a nightmare, or—

His head broke the surface, and she released the breath she'd unconsciously been holding. He flipped onto his back and pulled a limp body onto his chest, pulling himself through the water and back to shore with one arm. Kensi watched, completely frozen, as Deeks hit the shallow water and stood, holding the limp girl in his arms. He ran through the water, reaching the beach in seconds. He laid the girl out on the beach, listened to her chest, and started compressions.

A scream from behind her startled her, and Kensi turned around to see a woman in her mid thirties, with blonde hair and grey eyes frantically running toward the girl—who Kensi assumed was her daughter. When the woman reached Kensi, she grabbed her. The woman was too startled to scream or do anything but glance at Kensi.

"He's got her," Kensi said as steadily as she could. "Just give him a minute to work."

The woman didn't respond, but she also didn't fight Kensi anymore, so Kensi turned back to watch Deeks work. He gave the girl two breaths, then did compressions. He repeated the motions again, and the girl suddenly coughed. Deeks turned her on her side, then sat her up slowly. Kensi released the woman, who then ran to her daughter. The woman gathered the little girl close to her, and held on tightly, gushing relief and thanks to Deeks.

**"Kensi, if you don't answer, I swear—" **

"Sorry, Callen," she said. She hadn't heard him, but she guessed he'd been talking over the coms for awhile. "We're fine. A little girl was drowning, and Deeks… he went in to save her."

Callen's sigh of relief was audible.

**"Okay, good. She okay?"**

Kensi nodded before remembering that Callen couldn't see her.

"Yeah, she's okay. Deeks saved her."

**"Good," **Callen said. **"We got both Michael and the buyer. Deeks's replacement is here, so whenever you two are ready, head on back. We'll meet you at the mission."**

"Sounds good," Kensi said. She heard the line go dead at the same time she felt Deeks's arms wrap around her body.

"Did they get 'em?" he asked, his breath tickling her neck, causing her to shiver slightly.

Kensi sighed, nodded, and relaxed into her partner's wet embrace, but she couldn't help but think of the ring that was still hidden in his drawer at home. She watched the scene before her—a mother and child reunited—and it gave her courage to turn and whisper into his ear.

"Whenever you're ready," she said softly, "I'll say yes."


	3. Finally Shipmates

_**AN: This is in response to the banter in the Shipmates scene, and then the banter in the new sneak peek (1) for The Third Choir. Thanks to Fern for looking it over for me. Also, be looking for an update to The Possibilities Are Endless later tonight or tomorrow before the episode. Those sneak peeks are BEGGING to be written about. If you haven't watched yet, GO WATCH NOW! **_

_**Hope you enjoy this one shot, and if you have the time or inclination, please leave a review :)**_

_**Blessings,**_

_**bookdiva**_

* * *

It was really a normal day like any other. It had started off the way most mornings had of late—some variation of Kensi and Deeks waking up, semi-entangled on his or her couch. But always the couch, as Deeks always had some reason to avoid the bedroom, and Kensi was too afraid of losing him to push it.

So yeah, it was a day like any other. Except three days ago, he'd mentioned becoming shipmates. And Kensi didn't need to be an expert at metaphors—which, thanks to their _thing_ she actually happened to be—to know that he was really talking about them. More specifically, them living together.

And sure, unofficially, that's exactly what they were currently doing—the close call with Granger this morning confirmed that—but with their thing in some confusing state of limbo, she'd been seriously caught off guard when he'd said that.

_Shipmates. _

It wasn't fair. And for the last few days, she'd had to listen to him making small, intentionally timed comments about becoming shipmates. She knew the fact that he only brought it up on the job was no coincidence. In fact, it was his new signature attempt at communication. And she would be angry at him if it weren't for the fact that she recognized what he was doing: it was his way of avoiding the rejection that he was sure she'd send his way. And while it broke her heart, she understood. Which is why she couldn't find it in even herself to be angry at him.

But that didn't mean that she was content with the way things were. And listening to his veiled metaphor for the third time that day, she was finally ready to act.

"I mean think about it," he was saying. "Remember Granger this morning? So I'm like Superman, right? And even Superman had a Lois Lane," Deeks said. Kensi couldn't help the look she shot him. "Not that you're Lois Lane, or anything," he hurriedly clarified, and Kensi had to bite back a frustrated laugh. "If anything, you're more Wonder Woman. All I'm saying is that, well, Superman had a good thing going, but then he got looped in with the Justice League, and, well if we were shipmates, maybe I could be the Justice League to your—"

"Okay," she said simply, cutting her partner off mid-comment. He stopped walking and his eyes went wide.

"Umm, what, ah, I mean, wha—?" he stuttered, his hands migrating to his hair in his failed attempt to hide his nervousness.

"Alright, let's do it," Kensi said with a calmness she actually felt deep into her core.

"Do… um, do what?" he choked out, clearly already knowing the answer. Kensi smirked internally, quite proud of herself for causing her partner to become rather speechless.

She took a slow, deliberate step deep into his personal space, placed her hand on his chest, and looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. She was barely successful in fighting down a chuckle as she watched her partner react to her unexpected move. He swallowed hard and looked down at her.

"I'll be your shipmate," she said, pressing her body just a little closer, so they were almost but not quite touching. "But I have one condition." She paused for a moment, and then clarified, "Well, two conditions."

Deeks swallowed again and shook his head, seemingly searching for some clarity.

"Anything," he finally whispered. Kensi smiled, and rewarded him by pressing her body fully against his.

Pressing her lips to his ear, she whispered, "From now on, we sleep in a bed. _Our_ bed. No more couch." She pulled back and finally allowed herself to smirk at her stunned, speechless partner. "Deal?"

There was a tense silence for a long moment as he collected himself, and she felt her stomach clench. Then he smiled—that breath-taking smile that she knew he knew made her weak in the knees—and nodded.

"Deal."

She smiled and turned, walking toward the suspect's house once again, leaving her partner a few steps behind.

"Wait!" Deeks called back, and Kensi stopped, a knowing smile on her face. She schooled her face and turned around to find Deeks standing there, still looking confused. She cocked her head to the side, waiting for the question she had known was coming all along. "What's the second condition?"

Kensi just smirked at him.

"We are never—under any circumstance—naming one of our kids _Shepherd_."

* * *

Nell's POV

For Nell, it was also a regular day. A day like any other. Even her brilliant mind couldn't have warned her about what she was about to hear. Eric was on an Oreo break—he'd stepped out of OPS not even two minutes ago—when the coms link suddenly turned on.

"…_**and even Superman had a Lois Lane,"**_ Deeks's voice was saying. _**"Not that you're Lois Lane, or anything,"**_ he continued, and Nell kept her mouth closed, sure she was listening to another one of their inappropriate—and yet incredibly entertaining—bantering sessions. _**"If anything, you're more Wonder Woman. All I'm saying is that, well, Superman had a good thing going, but then he got looped in with the Justice League, and, well if we were shipmates, maybe I could be the Justice League to your—"**_

_Superman? Shipmates? What the heck are they talking about?_ Nell wondered to herself. She held her breath to keep from laughing, waiting on a yelp from Deeks indicating Kensi had slugged him.

"_**Okay,"**_ Kensi said simply, cutting her partner off mid-comment and shocking Nell. That was definitely not the response Nell had been expecting, and judging from the fact that the sounds of walking stopped, Deeks must have been even more caught off-guard. Nell waited anxiously to see what happened next.

"Umm, what, ah, I mean, wha—?" Deeks stuttered in a rare moment of speechlessness. After spending a few cases as his fill-in partner, Nell could imagine the way his hands were surely running through his hair in an attempt to hide his nervousness.

"_**Alright, let's do it,"**_ Kensi said, her voice steady and calm.

"Do… um, do what?" Deeks choked out. Nell internally echoed his question.

The line was silent until she heard Deeks's barely-audible gulp.

"_**I'll be your shipmate,"**_ Kensi said. _**"But I have one condition." **_

_There was that word again. Shipmate. But what does it mean?_

"Anything," Deeks whispered after a silent stretch. Nell heard the sound of rustling wind, and then a breathy voice directly into the coms unit.

"_**From now on, we sleep in a bed. Our bed. No more couch. Deal?"**_

Nell almost fell out of her seat at Kensi's words. There was a tense silence for a long moment, but Nell was too busy being floored.

_They're together. Like _together_-together. And apparently moving in together. Wow. Okay, _she admitted to herself. _I did _not_ see that one coming. _

Finally, Deeks responded.

"_**Deal."**_

Nell could imagine Kensi's smile as she once again heard the sound of footsteps.

"_**Wait!" **_Deeks suddenly called out. _**"What's the second condition?"**_

Nell couldn't help but wonder the same thing.

"_**We are never—under any circumstance—naming one of our kids Shepherd."**_

And that did it. Nell managed to shut off the coms unit before finally letting out the laugh that bubbled up inside of her. In her mind, no one deserved happiness more than Kensi and Deeks, and she was grateful—however unintended—to be a part of them finding it.


	4. The Death

_**AN: Please read the whole thing before killing me. :) And remember the kind of stories I write. **_

* * *

"Are we ready? Lift on three. One, two, three."

The soft, pained groan her partner let out stole Kensi's breath away. Medical jargon was passing all around her, but all she could see—all she could hear—was her partner. He was still fighting, still trying to get away, as if he didn't know he was safe. It broke Kensi's heart.

"Deeks," she said, slipping past the doctors to grasp Deeks's hand. "You've got to listen to the doctor." He moved his head away from her voice, and Kensi felt herself die a little inside. "Deeks!" She trailed off again when he still wouldn't look at her.

_Can you blame him? _an angry voice demanded in her ear. _You left him there. _

"Deeks…" her voice broke on a whisper, but he still didn't turn toward her.

"C'mon, Agent Blye. We've got work to do."

Kensi cringed at her boss's voice, but she knew she couldn't fight him. She had to close her eyes in order to make herself turn and step away from her partner. The moment she had to release his hand, she opened her eyes. She glanced back and saw that his head was moving from side to side, his eyes were alight with panic, and blood was still dripping out of his mouth.

He looked so alone, and she longed to stay with him. Granger's hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her the rest of the way out of the ER bay. Once her partner was no longer in her line of sight, autopilot took over. Rage focused her vision, and all she could think about was taking out the man who'd caused the damage to _her_ Deeks.

* * *

Two hours later, she was sitting in the back seat of her own car when her phone rang.

"What?" Kensi answered her phone, her tone curt and hard.

"Oh, um, is this… Kensi Blye?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"This is Agent Blye," Kensi affirmed, her tone not wavering. "Who are you?"

"Oh, Agent Blye," the voice—soft and feminine—came across the line once more. "My name is Debbie Anderson, I'm a nurse at Pacific Beach Medical. It says here that you are the next of kin to one Martin Andrew Deeks. Is this true?"

Kensi's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.

"Yes, that's me," she said quickly, her tone softening slightly. "How is Deeks?"

"There was a complication during his surgery," Nurse Debbie explained. Kensi's heart stilled, but her mind refused to comprehend the nurse's words. "His wounds were left untreated for too long, and he lost too much blood. I'm sorry, but—"

"What kind of complication? How long will his recovery take now?" Kensi demanded, not letting the nurse finish her thought. She finally caught Callen's concerned gaze, and she was vaguely aware of Granger eyeing her in the rearview mirror, but she ignored it all.

"I'm sorry," the nurse said again, and Kensi suddenly felt as if her entire body was on fire. "He simply lost too much blood, and we were unable to revive Mr. Deeks." The nurse paused again. "I'm sorry to inform you that Mr. Deeks died on the operating table. I'm so sorry."

"I—I don't… I mean, um, are you—no. No, no, NO!" Kensi stuttered. "No. You're… no. He—he _promised_, and he, he, he, he—" She was breathing so fast at that point that she nearly hyperventilated. She felt her vision going fuzzy, and suddenly the phone was slipped from her hand.

She was vaguely aware of Callen demanding answers from the nurse, but Kensi was already fumbling with the car door. She needed air. She needed to breath.

Who was she kidding. She didn't need any of that! What she really needed was Deeks. She needed him more than air, more than breath. She just needed him.

"Kensi," Callen said, kneeling beside her. When had she fallen to her knees? "Kens, I'm so sorry."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No. He's _not_ gone."

She used the word gone instead of dead, because she couldn't even fathom that word.

"Kens…" Callen said again, his tone full of pity. Kensi hated his tone.

"No!" she snapped, surging to her feet. "I would have felt it. He's not—not… He's _not_!"

"Kensi," Callen said again, gripping her shoulder firmly. Kensi tried desperately to shrug him off, but he held fast. "Kensi, you talked to the nurse, and I just talked to the nurse, too. She called your real number. She explained his injuries. I don't want to believe it, either, but he's dead, Kensi."

Kensi sucked in a breath. With those words, all the pain left her body. She felt numb and weightless—as if Marty Deeks had been the only thing tethering her to this life, and now that he was gone, there was nothing to hold her here either.

Suddenly, a temporary tether appeared in her mind, and her vision turned red. Anger. Pure, blinding, unadulterated rage. It focused her vision.

_Siderov did this,_ she told herself. He wouldn't be breathing air much longer.

This time, Kensi succeeded in pushing Callen away.

"_Don't_… touch me," she seethed. Then, her entire body stiff with tension, she climbed back into the car.

"I'm fine," she answered Granger's unspoken question. "I'm fine. Where are we at?"

Granger gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her, but when he looked at Callen, he thought better of asking anything.

"Michelle went dark," Granger said instead, his gruff voice keeping Kensi in the present. "We need to move in."

Kensi nodded, sloping out of the car and assembling the necessary gear with practiced ease. She followed Callen up the stairs of the hotel to Michelle and Siderov's room, and the whole way, the nurse's words were replaying in her mind.

"_His wounds were left untreated for too long. He lost too much blood." _Kensi kept her eyes firmly open, but all she could see was the haunted look on his face as she left him tied to that chair. Her heart burned as she tortured herself.

_If you hadn't left him in that chair… If you'd gotten him out of there… If you hadn't left him to bleed out alone, he would still be alive. _

If, if, if… There were so many ifs, but they all came to one outcome. If she'd just done things differently, the most important person in her life would still be alive. But he wasn't, and with every step she took, she realized that if he wasn't, she didn't want to be.

"She's not here," Callen said once they'd cleared the room. "Siderov's in the wind."

"He'd have to have an extraction plan," Granger chimed in.

"The roof," Kensi said, her voice a strange, emotionless monotone that she didn't recognize. "We didn't see him on our way up, so it stands to reason that he would go up, not down."

"Go!" Granger commanded. Kensi didn't need to be told twice. Her anger and rage turned into adrenaline, and in no time she was reaching the door. Up ahead of her, there was a large black man struggling to pry the door open.

"Sam?" Kensi called, her voice still sounding foreign to her. Sam turned around quickly, but he immediately went back to the door once he'd assured himself it was just Kensi. Suddenly, she felt her deep-seated rage change targets. Sam was alive, and Deeks was dead.

Ignoring his struggling, Kensi roughly shoved Sam aside, causing him to stumble and fall.

"Kensi!" Sam whispered, but Kensi ignored him.

"He's dead, Sam," Kensi whispered as she shoved the door open. Any other time the door would've been too heavy for her, but her admission gave her the necessary strength for the task. Sam looked confused, but he didn't have time to question her.

The open door revealed Siderov on the roof, attempting to force Michelle into a helicopter. When he noticed Kensi and Sam pointing guns at him and his goon, he pulled Michelle between them.

"Let her go, Siderov," Sam said. Kensi moved so that she was between Siderov and the helicopter. Sam stood between him and the door. There was no place for Siderov or his goon to escape. Unfortunately, there also wasn't a clean shot.

"There's only one way this ends, Siderov," Kensi said, her voice a now familiar, emotionless monotone. "You. In a body bag."

_Like Deeks,_ her mind reminded her. Kensi felt a tear slip down her cheek, despite her greatest efforts. Unfortunately for her, Siderov noticed.

"Ah," he said, his eyes flashing with a dark twinkle of delight. "You knew the other one? The weak one? I'm guessing he died?" Kensi held herself still, which was easier than it should have been, as she suddenly couldn't breathe. Her eyes narrowed at Siderov, and he had the audacity to laugh. "As it should be."

Kensi's vision exploded in rage, but before she could react irrationally, the roof door burst open. Siderov's goon—the one who'd been pointing the gun at Kensi—dropped to the ground. Siderov shifted slightly, and Kensi had an opening. She didn't even think it over—to be honest, she couldn't've cared less if she hit Michelle—she just took the shot. Her bullet hit Siderov right between the eyes, but it didn't make Kensi feel any better.

"Sam!" Michelle called, running into her husband's arms. Kensi turned away from them, unable to watch them embrace. She turned to talk to Callen, but instead she saw Deeks.

She blinked, and blinked again. And again. And yet again. But he was still there. He was still standing there, and he was alive. She blinked again. And he was gone.

She heard a gasp, and she looked down. He wasn't gone, he was just kneeling. He was kneeling. He was there. He was alive.

"Oh my god," she whispered, taking a shaky step toward him. "Deeks?"

He looked up at her, and she reached her arm out to him, desperate to touch him and prove to herself that he was real—that he was alive.

_But what if he's not alive,_ a voice taunted her. _What if reaching out to touch him makes him disappear?_

"You're… you're…" she trailed off and collected herself. "You good?"

He let out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair, but it was too shaky for it to be her imagination. She had no memory of him ever being anything but steady.

"I'm good," he said, but his voice betrayed his lie. "You good?"

She reached out and her fingers ghosted along his hand. He flinched back, but he didn't disappear. And for now, that was enough for Kensi. Her lips pulled into a tight smile, and she nodded.

"I'm good."

_He's not,_ her mind protested, but she quickly shut it up. _Neither am I. But he's alive. _

Sam and Michelle had made their way off the roof, so Kensi and Deeks stood alone on the roof with two dead bodies. This fact suddenly became apparent to Deeks, and he backed away.

"I—I have to… to, uh, to go," he said, turning away from her and quickly making his way to the door.

"I thought you were dead!" she called out as his retreating form reached the roof door. He froze, but he still didn't turn around. She walked forward so that she was directly behind him.

She pushed away the ache in her heart, but a soft sob still slipped out. His shoulders dropped at that sound.

"I thought so, too," he said without turning around, his words halting and broken. "But you got me out." Again he paused. "Eventually."

She winced. "No."

It was all she could do to get that one word out, but it was worth it, because it caused him to turn around. His guard was momentarily dropped, and she saw the confusion in his eyes.

"No," she choked out again. "No, not… not, in the… the… not then."

He just nodded, not making a move toward her, but Kensi took comfort in the fact that he also hadn't made a move away from her.

"They… they called me," she finally admitted, unable to meet his eyes. "While we were staking out the hotel. The hospital. They… they t-told m-me you were d-d-d—"

She stopped there, because she couldn't even force the word past her lips. The word _dead_ didn't belong in any sentence that even _mentioned_ Deeks.

"There must have been a mix-up with the records, and…" she trailed off as she saw understanding in his eyes.

"But I'm not," he said softly. His words were meant to reassure her—Kensi knew that—but they were too shaky to do anything other than break her heart just a little more.

"But you _were_."

"But I'm not," he repeated, a little stronger than before. His hand hesitantly came up and reached for her hand. "I'm still here. Barely. But I'm here."

She squeezed his hand, trying to push away the twinge in her heart when he winced and withdrew his hand from hers. She gave him her best smile.

"C'mon, partner," she said softly. "Let's go."

He just nodded, still no smile on his usually joyful face. They walked down the stairs, side by side, though neither said a word. It wasn't perfect—it wasn't even good—but he was alive. He was alive, and if she'd learned anything while she thought he was dead it was that she couldn't live in a world where Marty Deeks didn't exist.

So he wasn't okay—neither was she. But she would do everything in her power to make sure they could be okay again.


	5. Start With A Fern

_**AN: Hey guys! I'm alive! Haha, not only alive... I'm done with finals, and I've started a new job! Whooo! So, I finally got to watch 6x22, and wow! (I mean, side note here, but I thought we'd be getting more into Deeks by this point... but all we seem to be getting is more on Kensi, and Sam, and Callen... WHERE'S THE DEEKS INFO?) **_

**_Okay, that said... I'm working on Hey Baby, and all my other stories, but I've been a little busy. I'm also planning on a story for the hiatus, so be on the look out for that! OhBuddy66 and I have been talking back and forth, and we both have something cool coming out soon :) _**

**_That said, enjoy this oneshot! _**

**_Blessings,_**

**_bookdiva_**

* * *

"I'm home!" Kensi called as she breezed through the door, opening it with her key and not even bothering to knock. Deeks looked up startled from the kitchen counter where he'd been searching for his keys.

"Hey," he said, softly. "I was just gonna head to your apartment. I thought tonight was a night off?"

Kensi laughed and let a large, potted plant on the table. She tossed her keys beside the plant and twined her arms around his neck.

"Mmmm," she said, pulling him down for a hello kiss. "That makes no sense."

He smiled down at her.

"Neither does you showing up here with a plant," he countered.

"Ah, touché," Kensi said with another genuine laugh. Deeks narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Okay," he said, touching the back of his hand to her forehead. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Kensi cocked her head to the side, but she didn't lean away from his hand.

"You're using touché correctly," he explained.

Kensi laughed and shook her head.

"Touché," she repeated. Deeks let out an exaggerated sigh.

"We were so close," he whined. Kensi laughed, but Deeks suddenly became serious.

"Kens," he said, his voice taking on that soft, I'm-worried-but-trying-not-to-show-it tone that not-so-secretly made her weak in the knees.

"I'm good, Deeks," Kensi said, giving him a genuine smile. "I mean, yeah this was a tough case. I honestly thought I'd be anything but good right now. But for the first time in a really long time, after a tough case I'm… good. Really good." She smiled. "And it's because of you."

Deeks cocked his head to the side and studied her, looking for signs that she was covering something up. Deciding, apparently, that Kensi's response was genuine, he grinned at her.

"Well I'm glad," he said, shooting her a cheeky smile. "Now that that's settled, I think we need to address the real issue."

Kensi's brow immediately furrowed.

"What issue?" she wondered aloud, genuinely confused and suddenly uneasy. Deeks's grin, however, eased that slightly.

"You bought a fern," Deeks stated.

Kensi let out a sigh of relief that was quickly followed by a smirk and a succinct nod.

"I did," she said simply.

Deeks narrowed his eyes at her in mock frustration.

"And why did you, plant killer extraordinaire, buy a fern, exactly?" he asked playfully.

She pinched his side for the plant killer comment, but leaned into him as she smiled.

"I was thinking about Sam's advice," she explained. Deeks looked confused, so she continued. "You know, start with a plant, and if you can keep that alive…"

Recognition flashed in Deeks's eyes.

"…get a jellyfish?" he finished, a hopeful gleam suddenly present in his eyes. She nodded, and for a long moment, the partners stood there in the silence of the kitchen.

"I mean, you haven't killed the doppleganger tank yet," she mumbled into his chest. He laughed, and it was music to her ears.

"You haven't killed Monty yet," he agreed. This time she laughed, even as she nodded.

"We've kinda worked backwards," she acknowledged. "But then, this whole _thing_ has been anything but normal."

"That's true," he agreed.

"I'm not saying today," she said slowly. "Or next week or next month. I'm just letting you know it's not a no. Let's start with a plant, and then…"

She trailed off, unsure how to conclude this ginormous gesture.

"A litter of gifted mutant ninja assassins?" he supplied. She couldn't help the snort laugh that escaped her at that.

"Fighting for the side of justice, naturally," she replied. Neither one of them could stop smiling.

"Naturally."


End file.
